The scalability challenge of Bitcoin can be tackled by increasing the block size limit. Although it might have some consequences but it is a good option. Another good alternative is to use the Lightning Network for transactions.
It seems that more countries are considering making fair policies on Bitcoin. We got news recently from Nigeria that the government has lifted sanctions on banks facilitating crypto transactions. My prediction is that next year will be better especially if the SEC approves the ETF this is because many nations see the US as their role model. Some unfriendly nations might begin to change the negative views they have about Bitcoin once the US integrates Bitcoin into their financial system.
The adoption of a spot ETF in the US will not be a mass adoption for Bitcoin. In other countries, these ETFs already exist and are not in great demand.
In the US, nothing will be approved until the government has as much control over it as possible and the money leaves the country.If a spot ETF is approved, for many companies the money will not even move to other banks, but will simply transfer to the company's accounts in the same bank.